A wicked Chaz Sargeant goal after the siren handed Seymour a gut-wrenching three-point loss to Tatura at the weekend, putting an exclamation point on an 11.9 (75) to 10.12 (72) Goulburn Valley League game for the ages.
The Lions led from midway through the second quarter right until the very last kick of the match, but Sargeant’s late heroism cruelly snatched an opening round win from Seymour at Tatura Park.
Seymour coach Ben Davey was at a loss when asked to summarise the match.
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Long bomb: Seymour's Ricky Schraven. Photo by Wayne HerringImage 2 of 7
Clamped: Seymour's Nathan Beattie captures Tatura's Che Walls. Photo by Wayne HerringImage 3 of 7
Off and away: Seymour's Chayse Thomson gets clear. Photo by Wayne HerringImage 4 of 7
Good leap: Tatura's Will Russell flies high over his opponents. Photo by Wayne HerringImage 5 of 7
Split the sticks: Seymour's Thomas Davey lines up a set shot for goal. Photo by Wayne HerringImage 6 of 7
Twist and turn: Seymour's Tom Moloney. Photo by Wayne HerringImage 7 of 7
Reset: Seymour players prepare to start the last quarter. Photo by Wayne HerringFine margins cost the Lions in the long run, but the defeat gave Davey an inkling of where his charges need to improve moving forward.
“I just said to the boys, if that siren goes 20 seconds earlier it’s a feeling of jubilation — you’ve pulled off one of the great wins,” he said.
“And then it goes 20 seconds later and you feel like you’ve played the worst game of your life.
“When that happens it’s really easy for everyone to think about what they did wrong to make us lose, when if the siren goes 20 seconds earlier and you think ‘s*** I played well’ because we won.
“In a way it’s good because it makes you really reflect on what you need to do to get better.”
Sargeant’s clinical closing act was fitting considering the two hours of football that preceded it.
Tatura took an eight-point lead into quarter-time as Seymour proved wasteful in front of the big sticks, while returning Brad Ryan alongside Ethan Penrith solidified a wrought-iron Bulldogs’ backline.
Lions’ star on-baller Ben Rigoni slotted the first major of the second term, then along came Sargeant.
With the wind at his back, the key forward boomed one through from just outside the centre square before backing it up minutes later, albeit from slightly closer range.
William Le Deux finally pegged one back for Seymour after a slice of dominance and Riley Mason pushed his Lions ahead with two well-taken efforts before the main break.
The visitors surged and surged throughout the third quarter, matching Tatura’s three initial goals to grip a four-point advantage with one term left to play.
Bulldogs recruit Jhdara Jones got the crowd going with slick movement, connecting the defence and attack, while a Ryan sibling link-up spurred the fans further on.
Brad Ryan drilled an arrow up forward to brother Matt, who obliged to put the host two points ahead — but the Lions weren’t done.
A Ricky Schraven effort shunted Seymour back into the lead, then debutant Lewis Lubeck found himself in acres of space in the goal square, marking and executing the set shot.
When all hope was seemingly lost for Tatura, Sargeant cued the heartstopper.
The siren buzzed, Sargeant nailed the attempt and the crowd erupted as players spilled on to the field to orbit their opening-day hero.
A new-look Seymour line-up featured six debutants and also had 15 changes from its last GVL game, a finals loss to Euroa at Tatura Park, with Davey noting he’s had his “heart broken” twice in two games at the venue.
Regardless, the Lions leader reserved praise for a number of Lions who battled admirably during the clash.
“Tom Moloney’s first game was outstanding in the midfield. Jaxon (Lantzke) in the ruck was really, really good — not just in the contest but when the ball hit the ground his follow-up was great.
“Ben Rigoni was terrific through the midfield, Riley (Mason) threatened to blast the game open at times.
“And the back seven just played a really good, team-orientated defence.”